Fabric poster prints and photo prints have seen a recent increase in popularity, and have been becoming increasingly ubiquitous as displays in homes, offices, or other locales. Improvements in printer technology have made fabric poster prints and photo prints relatively inexpensive and high-quality, making them increasingly attractive as an option. Many also appreciate the different aesthetics and display methods that may be possible with a fabric poster or photo print. For example, fabric poster or photo prints can be, and often are, displayed as a “gallery wrap,” a type of display method that entails stretching the print around the sides of a frame so that the frame is hidden and the print appears to be displayed framelessly. Some fabric poster or photo prints may even be formed around a nonrectangular, or even irregularly-shaped or three-dimensional, frame, such as is done in “shaped canvas” painting.
Many traveling researchers, sales professionals, and other business professionals have also appreciated the travel-related benefits of fabric poster and photo prints for their presentation visual aids or other visual displays. One key benefit is that such displays can be easily folded and placed in luggage without the risk of creasing the fabric poster or photo print, which eliminates the need for the traveling professional to carry around a bulky poster carrying tube as they would traditionally have to.
However, the significant amount of customization potential that is offered by fabric poster and photo printing technology is hampered by the lack of customization innovations in framing techniques for fabric poster and photo prints. Current practices for framelessly displaying fabric poster or photo prints typically require the use of stretcher or strainer bars, which are typically rectangular braces of fixed size that cannot be easily altered once assembled. This limits the sizes and shapes of fabric poster and photo prints that can be framed with a standard frame to those matching the size of the custom frame. Such frames are also often bulky, which causes problems for traveling professionals who may need to transport a display stand or frame that can be used to display their presentation materials.